Well, that's the thing that has been puzzling me. Was my T who initially connected the dots and got the ball rolling as it were... she noted that I was very sensitive to noise (in terms of distraction... i.e. other peoples conversations, the dog barking or whining while I try to think and talk, people walking by outside the window during our sessions (just the clip clopping of their shoes))... but as you said, 'communication' was not something she'd noticed at first as on a one to one basis I have adapted and managed very well as I've grown older... I've learnt to pick up on cues in a pattern sort of way much like I was forced to do with my colour blindness and other issues as I was a child.
She got me to do the AQ test by Simon Baron-Cohen
Aspergers Adult AQ Test Quiz Online: Autism Spectrum Quotient and I scored 39 out of 50 (32 being the threshold for suspected Aspergers) and then after speaking to my p-doc, they got the ball rolling for me to be screened (which still hasn't happened yet... waiting times are long).
In terms of 'what other traits I have'... I don't really know... I'm me... saying that, I am repetitive in routines and hobbies and I get very anxious if said activities are disrupted.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_little_didgee
An assessment can be very helpful even if you don't meet the criteria for ASD, because it gets you to think about your personality. It's revealing. I finally had the words to describe some of my personality traits that I couldn't vocalize. Identifying those traits can really improve psychotherapy.
I was diagnosed with ASD at the age of 34 by a psychiatrist. She interviewed my mother and had us fill out questionnaires about my developmental history. Since I am a woman it took longer to get diagnosed, even though ASD was suspected back in 1994 when I first went into psychiatric treatment for 'depression'.
Getting diagnosed really helped me heal and it answered so many of my questions. It explained why I always felt different. It also got rid of my personality disorder diagnosis that I never agreed with.
ASD is much more than communication troubles. What other ASD traits so you have besides communication troubles?
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Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA): UK